Indigenous groups criticize ABC series ‘Big Sky’ for insensitivity to MMIWG

VANCOUVER

Indigenous critics of ABC’s kidnapping drama “Big Sky” say it fails to acknowledge real-life missing and murdered Indigenous women and are extending their grievance to CTV for airing the series in Canada without added context.

The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs is among several Indigenous groups lambasting the Vancouver-shot series for a storyline about kidnapped women in Montana that skirts a real-life epidemic in that state, as well as B.C.

The B.C. group’s secretarytreasurer Kukpi7 (pronounced COOK’pee) Judy Wilson called it “imperative” that “ABC demonstrate some awareness and cultural competency” regarding systemic violence against Indigenous women and girls.

But she took issue Thursday with CTV, too, saying “they are equally responsible” for airing a series that appears to discount a painful reality that extends to Canada.

Her union has joined several other Indigenous groups in asking ABC to append an information card to the end of future episodes that explains the MMIWG crisis. If ABC won’t do it, Wilson said she’d like to see CTV do it themselves.

“Anyone in the film industry and in the broadcast industry in Canada — especially with the National Inquiry (into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls) — should have a social conscious if not a moral conscious and obligation to include this kind of information in their productions or at least an info card at the (end),” Wilson said.

“By omitting it and by not including any references ... they’re adding to the issue of the genocide against Indigenous women and girls.”

CTV did not provide comment by mid-afternoon Thursday.